Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy
Prof. Dr. med. Sebastian Walther
Director of the Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy (Center for mental health)
Research focus
My research focuses on psychomotor behaviors in severe mental illness. We study patients with catatonia, psychosis, depression, or autism. Subtle abnormalities of psychomotor behaviors can be assessed using rating scales, instruments, and video analyses. Advanced neuroimaging helps elucidating network pathology associated with these behaviors. Psychomotor abnormalities may inform on the course and neurobiology of the disorders. In addition, we study these issues during non-verbal communication. Finally, we use psychotherapy or non-invasive brain stimulation to alleviate problems in nonverbal communication or psychomotor behavior.
contact: walther_s5@ukw.de
Research Focus
We study the effect of social interactions and social motives (e.g., empathy) on neural decision circuitries, learning and clinically relevant processes such as fear and pain. Ultimately, our research aims to inspire methods for the diagnosis and therapy of psychological disorders, e.g., from the anxiety disorder spectrum. We use a range of methods including brain imaging, computational modeling (learning models, drift diffusion modeling (DDM)), ecological momentary assessments (EMA) and behavioral experiments.
contact: hein_g@ukw.de
Research Focus
One area of our research is the investigation of the neurobiological basis of anxiety disorders. For this, we use functional imaging and psychophysiological approaches. Another area of research is the development of dementia from a neuropsychological perspective. Here we also use near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). A third area uses non-invasive brain stimulation to modulate psychotherapeutic processes and thus increase the effectiveness of the treatment.
contact: herrmann_m@ukw.de
Prof. Dr. Angelika Schmitt-Böhrer
Research Focus
Molecular mechanisms of emotionality, e.g. epigenetic programming, gene x environment interactions; Neural plasticity with focus on the role of adult hippocampal neurogenesis and neuromorphology in various limbic brain regions in animal models of anxiety, depression and neurodegenerative disorders; Etiopathogenetic mechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders such as the sporadic Alzheimer`s diseas.
contact: schmitt_a3@ukw.de
Research Focus
Molecular genetics of anxiety disorders, ADHD and bipolar disorder. Identification of new genetic risk factors and their impact on a psychiatric phenotype, with the aim of gaining new perspectives in the development of more effective therapeutic approaches.
contact: weber_h2@ukw.de
